Blobs don’t seem like they are capable of making assumptions, nor things that would attempt to fit an image. Smokers fulfill some kind of niche they felt the need to occupy.
Although now that I think about it, they do have a very interesting role. I wouldn’t say they’re weird as they are specialized.
Maybe it was a response to bunches of survivors that were armed, presumably with firearms, and the blob needed an answer for those that are dug in by literally smoking them out. I can only assume that their smoke is not of a variety just from burning things and is designed specifically to asphyxiate prey by depriving them of oxygen. They’re also very difficult to shoot, both because of visual and their anatomy, which I believe is very similar to that of a skeleton’s (bones and bare minimal mass with plenty of room for gaps and places where bullets are useless). This would deprive them of use of the survivors’ best means of defense, and also force them to leave their safety zone and places where they are most secure.
Individually they’re kind of pathetic but to an under-equipped survivor with not many options, a smoker is a death sentence. When paired up with a hoard, the arrival of a smoker in an enclosed structure is likewise a very very bad thing to see.
As to how they physically work I couldn’t hope to tell you, but in theory they seem a lot more useful than Boomers. I have yet to hear what those are good for.
